Print to PDF Driver that embeds fonts for MS Word

[Neon Bible]

I have customers using Microsoft Word and Publisher.

I would like to have them install a PDF Print Driver so they can print to a PDF file and then send to me.

A. I want a driver that will embed or outline the fonts for the pdf they send me so it is print ready. Most drivers I found don't embed the fonts so a driver that can embed the fonts is what I am looking for.

B. I then can not place a pdf with embedded fonts into Illustrator with out font substitution issues if I don't have the local font installed loacaly.

One of the members posted a loop hole with instructions and a video of how to convert to outlines in Acrobat using transparent watermark which I found helpful before placing in illustrator as a band aid fix.
How to convert fonts to outlines

As a Screen Printer, I dont know a lot about any automated pre flighting tasks or hot folder work flows. I am contracting all of my offset printing out to a commercial printer, but I am looking to learn how and to automate the whole process and make it easy for my customers that are not graphic designers that have quick printing needs.

Any suggestions, recommended drivers, plug in software or educational info on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

[Lukas Engqvist]

Not all fonts are allowed to be embedded for legal reasons. Just so you know.
Have you tried enfocus instant PDF? Also if you can find someone with an EFI online printing, you can sneak up a word or I think even a publisher and grap the PDF that is for validation, it should have all the fonts

[Jackie]

I've had many a problem with clients printing from Microsoft software.

I've found a good free driver on the internet, it's called CutePDF. I haven't had any problems with files created with this driver, I can't say it will always work in every scenario but so far so good with embedded fonts.

CutePDF - Create PDF for free, Free PDF Utilities, Edit PDF easily;.

Download the free driver and install on your windows machine and see what happens.

Good luck
Jackie

[Stephen Marsh]

Some recent topics here:

Web Based Services

Free PDF Creation for Cusomers?


Stephen Marsh

[pcmodem]

B. I then can not place a pdf with embedded fonts into Illustrator with out font substitution issues if I don't have the local font installed locally.

Why are you placing the customers PDF into Illustrator? Illustrator is not a PDF editor. If you want a way to edit PDF's I would suggest Pitstop from Enfocus.

[Sev]

Try PrimoPDF. It is made for MS Office programs, and works great. It is basically a printer that priints to PDF. It is also free.
http://www.tvlitho.com/plugins.htm

-Sev

[Lukas Engqvist]

@Neon Bible
As pcmodem pointed out your steb "B." is going to be the big problem.
I would look into doing separations from PDF rather than Illustrator. I love Illy so it's not that, just that you are asking it to do what it was not made for. Illy does as you say want the fonts installed. (And that because if you are in illy you are in a creation program and not an output program.)

Maybe you should look at outputting from a PDF program like Acrobat (with or without pluggs) or Neo

[zoran]

For Office 2007 there is a free Microsoft PDF plugin that does decent job of font embedding when you pick PDFX/A.
It is separate download due to legal issues with Adobe (apparently Adobe wouldn't let them save PDF by default or something).

[leonardr]

For Office 2007 there is a free Microsoft PDF plugin that does decent job of font embedding when you pick PDFX/A.
It is separate download due to legal issues with Adobe (apparently Adobe wouldn't let them save PDF by default or something).

I don't know what you are referring to, but this plugin has been a part of the standard installation with Office 2007 SP1 and later. It must not have been ready for the original release, so they shipped it separately. It is also included with Office 2010 as well.

[Shawn]

I'll second the recommendation of CutePDF. Been using it with customers for a while and it's worked well. The only thing about it and several other free PDF print drivers is that they use the Ghostscript library which is going to change the name of your fonts within the PDF. The font data remains the same, but it may be difficult to figure out the exact name of the original font, and it certainly won't match up with the original name in Illustrator.

This isn't a problem for printing, but as others have mentioned will be an issue if you try to use Illustrator as a PDF editor. Pitstop and Acrobat Professional are a much better tool for this.

Shawn